With the month of July winding down, many football fans around the country already have that itch for some football – and for many, it never goes away. Pre-season games for the National Football League are still three weeks away and high school and college ball will kick off in roughly six weeks.

However, football fans willing to drive to New Orleans this weekend will have the chance to see what should be quite a game as the APDFL Blazers kick off against Team USA in the Cajun Bowl.

“This will be the first time that the Blazers will face off with American Football Events’ Team USA,” APDFL commissioner Bernard Hunt told Developmental Football USA. “We look to make it a first of many.”

The APDFL – or Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League – is one of the premier leagues of its kind in the county, featuring teams from Oklahoma to Florida and everywhere in between. With so much talent to choose from, the Blazers should be stacked across the board.

“The Blazers are selected from teams across the league, according to their play throughout the season and their stats,” Hunt said. “To be a member of the team, you must have played with a team in the league for the course of the present season and you must be in good standing with both your team and the league.”

Team USA comes in strong too, featuring many players with college experience.

“I’m honestly not sure where all of the players come from that will be playing for AFE Team USA, or how the team is built,” Hunt said. “My understanding is, that for the most part, they are players that have played at the college level and are looking to advance in their profession.”

“The APDFL Blazers is a solid team,” Hunt said. “We’ve got some great athletes that will be taking to the field and in my opinion, the best out there at this level. A win this weekend would solidify that and further prove that the APDFL is the premier developmental league in the country.”

The Blazers are coached by Mike Lloyd of this year’s National President’s Cup Championship winners, the Dynasty, and is joined by some of the key pieces of this year’s championship team.

“Two time league MVP LeSteven Jackson of the Mississippi Dynasty will be anchoring the offense,” Hunt said. “Jackson put up amazing numbers this past season against some of the nation’s best athletes. The defense is led by 2017 Defensive Player of the Year Yancey Powell and 2016 Player of the Year Henley Hughes, both of the Prattville Patriots.”

According to Hunt, 28 new teams have applied to join the APDFL for the 2018 season and the announcements of which have been accepted – including three from Texas – will be made in the coming weeks.

“The APDFL will be accepting top-notch organizations for the 2018 season and they can go to our website for more information,” Hunt said.

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